Carrying containers



March 27, 1956 R. J. FUDGE CARRYING CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 8, 1952 hyveryfor Robert J Fudge an AGENT United States Patent This invention is particularly designed as a portable carrier for bottles, such as for beer or soft drinks, although it could be used for carrying other commodities, especially where cleanliness is a requisite.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a strong, rugged container of the knock-down type which can be compactly shipped or stored in quantity and can be quickly assembled when required.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cheap, easily inserted, liner for the container which will form a bottom and side doors therefor, will absorb moisture, and when dirty, can be replaced to maintain the container in a clean and sanitary condition.

A further object of the invention is to construct the container so that the doors are prevented from opening when it is being manually carried.

Further objects of the invention are to make the component parts stackable for compactness, and to design the liners so they can be stamped out in one operation, for cheapness of manufacture.

Still further objects of the invention are to construct the whole device in a simple yet durable manner so that it will stand up under hard service, provide the bottom part with under folded runners so the under surface will be scratch proof, and to provide openers as part of the construction so the caps can be removed from the bottles as they are withdrawn from the container.

I obtain the above objects by the design of a twopieced, reinforced, square-cornered framework, through which a liner is received to form closure doors on either side thereof and which can be held closed by a swing able supporting handle.

The details of construction will now be described reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container in the closed position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged central cross sectional view through the container and taken on the dot and dash line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view of one of the upper corners of the container shown in Fig ure 1.

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the parts of the container shown in Figure 1 and with the liner partly broken away to expose the covered end of the bottom.

Figure 5 is a partial perspective view showing the meth- 0d of connecting the bottom of the container to the U-shaped frame.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The frame of the container is formed from a strip of sheet metal. The edges of the strip are pressed upward in a Z-shape 11 while the central part 12 is pressed downward in a trough-shape therealong to provide flat surfaces 13 therebetween on each side of the trough. The strip is then completely bent in a U-shape to form downwardly extending sides 14 and a top portion 15.

A U-shaped handle 16 normally lays flat across the top of the frame while the ends of the legs 17 thereof are bent zig-zag to centrally pass through the Z-shaped edges 11, which act as bearings therefor, and then terminate in continuing cranks 18 on the other side.

The walls of the trough 12, along the top of the frame, are cut top and bottom and pushed out centrally at three places on each side of the trough in curved bands 19" which overlie the bottom part of the trough. The surfaces 13, at two places on each surface, are pressed downwardly in an ellipse-shape, the inner half of the ellipse being cut out to provide openings 20 and the other half is left as indents 21 thereadjacent for a purpose later described. The walls of the trough 12, at the bottom of the frame sides, are provided with short up. wardly extending slots 22 and the surfaces 13 thereat:

are provided with horizontal slots 23.

From the above description it can be seen that the. frame is strongly reinforced by the Z-shaped edges and,

central troughs and can be pressed from sheet metal by a suitable die with low cost while the handle can be attached in a few moments. When so completed, the

frames can be stacked one within the other for compact.-

storage or shipping, and when so shipped, will enjoy a low freight rate.

The bottom part of the container is formed from a separate strip of metal 24 which has the sides thereof folded under as runners 25 and form smooth edges there-f.= to. These runners will normally support the container on? a flat surface so that the under surface of the bottom will not be scratched as by rubbing. The ends of the bottom are turned upward, including the folds or runners while: the corners of these end walls, the width of the folds,:

are cut down slightly and bent outward again in short tongues 27. It will be noted that these tongues are two plies of material.

In connecting this bottom to the frame 10, the end' walls 26 are slid up into the slots 22 while the tongues: 27 are slipped into and through the horizontal slots.23

and then given a twist with a pair of pliers or similar tool to prevent their withdrawal.

manually transportable by a swingable handle, and the construction is strong and rigid.

A strip of corrugated cardboard 28, best shown in Figure 4, is designed and cut so that it fits over the bottom 24, within the framework. Cut-outs 29 on each side of this latter strip fit the vertical troughs of the frame sides 14 so that it cannot slip out. The outer portions of the cardboard are creased at 30 to form doors 31, the ends of which are received within and contact the Z-shaped faces of the sides 14 when they are lifted upward to form closures for the framework. Each door has a bent over flap 32 with a pair of slots 33 therein. The flaps are adapted to pass under the cranks 18 when the doors are being shut, and also under the top Z-shaped edge, so that the indents 21 will be received in the slots 33 and frictionally lock the doors closed in the same manner as catches. Each door is also provided with a finger hole 34 for manually opening same against the friction. When the container is to be lifted by the handle, the handle swings up so that the cranks 18 swing down to move over the upper central part of the doors and this will insure that they will not become released when so carried. Accordingly, the doors cannot be opened until the container is again sitting on the runners and the the curved pressed out bands 19 are six in number so Patented Mar. 27, 1956 The result is a right.- angled, open sided, framework having vertically ribbed: ends, ribbed top and a flat bottom, the wholev being,

there is one over each bottle. When removing a bottle, it can be lifted up and the cap 36 thereof can he slipped inside the band. By swinging the bottom of the bottle outward in a tipping action, the outer edge of the cap will strike the top of the frame while the cut edge of the trough surface 12 will catch under the other side and remove the cap from the bottle in the same manner as a bottle opener.

From the above disclosure it can be seen that I have designed a strong rugged container for the purpose and the design permits government seals to be passed and glued therearound to seal the doors. The construction will stand up under hard usage while the corrugated cardboard liners will absorb moisture if a bottle should spill. The liners are also soft enough to protect the glass bottles against hard knocks. These liners can be made so cheaply that new ones could be inserted each time the empty bottles are re-placed and so keep the interior clean and sanitary as well as giving the container a pleasing appearance. The knock-down construction permits compact shipping at reduced tariffs while they can be assembled without requiring skilled help. The doors cannot open when carried by the handle and the bottles can be opened as they are being removed from the container. The device can also be used as a small suitcase for other articles.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A carrying container, comprising: an open sided framework having a swingable handle thereon; an elongated flat liner receivable through said framework with the central part thereof anchored in position on one interior side of said framework; the end sections of said liner projecting out the sides of said framework and swingably mounted at said sides as door closures therefor; and means, operable by the lifting of said handle, to retain said doors in closed position.

2. A knock down container, comprising: a U-shaped frame formed from a flat strip having a central reinforcing trough lengthwise therein; a fiat connecting member releasably secured across the ends of said frame to form a square-cornered, open sided, continuous framework; a U-shaped handle positioned centrally of said frame, with the legs thereof pivotally mounted thereon, andterminating in cranks on the other sides of the pivot points as continuations; an elongated liner centrally positioned and removably anchored across said connecting member, within said framework; the outer sections of said linear swingable on said anchored portion, adjacent the edges of said connecting member, as door closures for the open sides of said framework; and said cranks operable, as said handle is lifted, to swing into position for retaining said doors in closed relation with said framework.

3. A carrying container, comprising: an inverted U-shaped frame having the central longitudinal part thereof of a trough-shape in cross section; a connecting member releasably secured across the open ends of said frame to form an open sided square framework therewith; side supporting runners below and supported by said connecting member; a U-shaped handle positioned across the upper part of said frame; the legs of said handle zig- Zagged to pass centrally through the edges of said frame as handle pivot point supports and to terminate in short cranks on the other sides; a rectangular-shaped absorbable liner positioned centrally across said connecting member, within said framework, and releasably anchored to the trough portion of the ends of said frame; said liner bent thereacross at either side of said connecting member for swinging movement of the ends as closure members for the open sides of said framework; means for frictionally locking said doors closed; and said cranks movable into position for retaining said doors shut, when in said closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,119,235 Brandle Dec. 1, 1914 1,272,185 Baden July 9, 1918- 1,480,377 Daly Jan. 8, 1924- 1,865,454 Benoit July 5, 1932 2,110,480 Barlow Mar. 8, 1938 2,120,905 Moore June 14, 1938 2,131,583 Crotty Sept. 27, 1938 2,370,680 Moore Mar. 6, 1945 2,495,817 'Olsen Jan. 31, 1950 2,522,598 Blandford Sept. 19, 1950 2,544,049 Sawner Mar. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,560 Great Britain of 1905 153,181 Great Britain Nov. 4, 1920 533,356 France Dec. 8, 1921 

